ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. content — the amount
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — to push
  5. bass — low music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — happy
  9. press — newspapers
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. last — finally
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — final
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. field — farmland
  16. date — the fruit
  17. field — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. press — a publisher

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com